In a recent study they took a group of people and measured their telomere length. They weren’t surprised to find that those with shorter telomereswere likely to have a family history of cardiovascular issues.

But when they looked a little deeper, they found that separate from any other measurement, those with the highest HDL, the good very protective cholesterol, had the longest telomeres.

In fact, in the area of cardiovascular health alone, it’s important to report that there are more than 20 studies showing the association between shorter telomere length and various types of cardiovascular health issues.

Researchers publishing in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology have found that telomere shortening accurately predicts the risk of developing serious heart issues and the likelihood of a shorter lifespan.

This is the first study to look at the long-term connection between telomeres and heart health. They followed 20,000 people over the span of two decades, the results were clear and conclusive.

The people with short telomeres had a…

50% increased risk of heart attack

25% increased risk of early death

Another study, published in the same journal, found a frightening increase in heart attack risk. People with short telomeres had an increased risk between 280% and 320%!

These results confirm that shorter telomeres make you vulnerable for heart disease.

There is also an increased risk of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. In a study published in the prestigious journal Lancet, researchers found an association between short telomeres and atherosclerosis.Those with shorter telomeres had accelerated aging of their blood vessels and had a build up of plaque that correlated to someone 8.6 years older.

This increased risk extends into the very fiber of your heart muscle. In a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers discovered that people with heart failure had telomeres that were 40% shorter than normal.

Here’s a major recent study published in the British Medical Journal, July 2014:

Investigators performed this meta-analysis to assess the association between leukocyte telomere length and risk for cardiovascular (CV) disease.

Researchers identified 12 retrospective and 12 prospective studies (44,000 participants overall) in which leukocyte telomere length and adverse CV-related or cerebrovascular-related outcomes were reported. Participants were divided into three groups by telomere length. Compared with people in the longest telomere group, those in the shortest telomere group had significantly higher risk for coronary heart disease in both prospective and retrospective studies. Similar results were obtained in meta-analyses restricted to studies that were adjusted for conventional CV risk factors.

Bottomline: People with the shortest telomeres had the highest risk for adverse coronary events.

Telomere shortening is now considered a driving force by which genetic and environmental factors jointly affect your biological aging, and possibly the risk for developing age-associated health issues.

By slowing down the loss of your telomeres, you not only support your heart’s power, but you may stay younger longer.